How to live life the LoLo way…

>Ming Wai is 4. Again.

>Did I ever tell you about the time I had three birthday parties? Every year? No? Yeah. That’s because it happened every year..for as long as I can remember. It runs in the family…dinner with your family, cake and balloons with your friends, and (in my case) a birthday cake on Thanksgiving because it was always the next time my family got together with the extended family.

Long live traditions that involve more! cake!

Ming Wai is no exception to this rule. I proudly present…her third (4th) birthday.

I just barely wrestled her into this coat. She’s dead set against putting anything on her body that might not be the right size. Even if it is. It might not be. And this coat? Was sized large, to grow into. (Who was the photographer on these shots??!)

Moving on. Ming Wai adores Tinkerbell…and Grandma did not disappoint. Hello, Tinkerbell tea set with a million-tiny-pieces. There’s a tea set for you, and a tea set for Tinkerbell and her cronies…complete with pinkie nail sized leaf “plates”. (Siu Jeun was, and is, mighty interested in something that involves that many brightly colored, and tiny, pieces. Nothing like a little Dr. Seuss to brighten up a birthday…unless it’s a lot of Dr. Seuss!And…oh dear. How do I explain this. Have you seen the newest collectible fad – tiny non-working erasers in the shape of…everything? Ming Wai started collecting them last Christmas, and has about a dozen. These erasers range from soccer balls to elaborate cakes to entire kitchen sets, including a range, frying pay, egg and spatula.

I should say had about a dozen. Now? She has a dozen…plus one hundred. Thanks, Grandma. *Grin* One of the Uncles Dude (Siu Jeun’s got three of them) was lending a hand during the present opening and keeping Siu Jeun occupied. Eventually, though, Uncle Dude ran out of tricks, and simple started to occupy himself. Siu Jeun was an unfortunate part of this scheme…and I can’t decide if the Hunchback, or the Barrel Chest is my favorite look for him!Note to self: a Strong Man costume is a definite, and EASY, possibility for this kid.A few candid shots of the party goers…

Hi, Poppy and Grandma!Whaddup, Auntie Bert and Uncle Bear?! (My two youngest siblings.)(You know, I think Bert gives Bear that look quite often…)And finally – The Cake. Miss Ming Wai was very definite on her birthday cake. Several weeks before her birthday, she began telling people that she was going to have a chocolate cake, with gummy bears on top. (She also wanted cherries, but back then cherries were actually in season. By the time her birthday rolled around, she hadn’t seen a cherry in weeks, and had thankfully forgotten all about that stipulation.)

A chocolate cake with gummy bears on top is easy. Making it LoLo style, and big enough to feed a hungry group of 15? That proved a bit more challenging.

Obviously.

I used this recipe, with a normal shortening/sugar buttercream. (Think those nasty gloppy roses on bakery cakes. It’s not ideal, but it’s quick, sticky and lactose free. All plusses!) The outside of the cake is frosted with ganache, which I realize negates any non-dairyness from the buttercream frosting…but the frosting was actually leftover from an earlier birthday cake, so whaddaya gonna do, eh?

I made the cake recipe twice, in three cake pans each time, to make a six layer cake. I got distracted somewhere in the middle, and forgot to level off one of the cakes…which meant that I got a really Wonky Cake.

Eh. Oh well. Birthday girls don’t mind, as long as there are plenty of gummy bears!